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Efficient Methods for Multi-agent Multi-issue Negotiation: Allocating Resources

  • Conference paper
Principles of Practice in Multi-Agent Systems (PRIMA 2009)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 5925))

Abstract

In this paper, we present an automated multi-agent multi-issue negotiation solution to solve a resource allocation problem. We use a multilateral negotiation model, by which three agents bid sequentially in consecutive rounds till some deadline. Two issues are bundled and negotiated concurrently, so win-win opportunities can be generated as trade-offs exist between issues. We develop negotiation strategies of the agents under an incomplete information setting. The strategies are composed of a Pareto-optimal-search method and concession strategies. An important technical contribution of this paper lies in the development of the Pareto-optimal-search method for three-agent multilateral negotiation. Moreover, we present the identification of agreements and Pareto-optimal outcomes achieved by our methods in mathematical proof. We show through computer experiments that using the tractable heuristic of Pareto-optimal-search combined with well-designed concession strategies by agents results in (near) Pareto-optimal outcomes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science (CWI), Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Mengxiao Wu & Han La Poutré

  2. Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

    Mathijs de Weerdt

Authors
  1. Mengxiao Wu
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  2. Mathijs de Weerdt
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  3. Han La Poutré
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Computer Science and Information Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon, South Korea

    Jung-Jin Yang

  2. Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Department of Informatics, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, 819-0395, Fukuoka, Japan

    Makoto Yokoo

  3. School of Techno-Business Administration, Dept. of Computer Science, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Gokiso, Showa-ku, 466-8555, Nagoya, Japan

    Takayuki Ito

  4. School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Peking University, No. 5 Yiheyuan Road, 100871, Beijing, China

    Zhi Jin

  5. Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, 15213, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Paul Scerri

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© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Wu, M., de Weerdt, M., La Poutré, H. (2009). Efficient Methods for Multi-agent Multi-issue Negotiation: Allocating Resources. In: Yang, JJ., Yokoo, M., Ito, T., Jin, Z., Scerri, P. (eds) Principles of Practice in Multi-Agent Systems. PRIMA 2009. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 5925. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11161-7_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11161-7_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-11160-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-11161-7

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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